Polaris
by Truccy
Summary: Raven wanted nothing to do with her planet. But when an unwelcome face from her past comes for a visit, she and her friends are pulled into a bloody, interglobal war between Azarath and...Tamaran. RaeRob, slight RaeOC
1. Red Cloaked Stranger

**Polaris **(1)

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans. Obviously._

_Author's Note: Just an idea I had. Not sure how long it will turn out to be yet. As I've noticed, pairings are a _very _big deal in this section, so I'm telling you right now (again, actually, since it's in the summary too) it's Rob/Rae. Please, don't flame the story if you don't like the pairing. It's pointless and helps nobody. On that note, don't ask me to change the pairing either. It won't happen. I leave the Star/Rob stories alone, so I'm asking all of you for the same courtesy. Now that that little spiel is over with, I really hope you guys enjoy the story. Please, please read and review._

"Dude, I'm totally kicking your butt!"

"Not for long!"

Raven watched impassively from the couch as Cyborg punched in a complicated series of buttons on his controller to power his car into the lead while simultaneously sending Beast Boy's into the wall.

Crash and burn.

"Ha! I win!" Cyborg yelled triumphantly, throwing his controller aside to launch into an impromptu victory dance.

Beast Boy sulked. "Cheater," he muttered. "There's a rule against looking up special codes online."

"I don't_ think_ so," Cyborg gloated.

"Well, there should be," Beast Boy said, crossing his arms.

Cyborg laughed. "You're just mad because you can't find the right websites."

"Whatever," Beast Boy said, his bad mood quickly dissipating, as always. "I need to play somebody I can win against. Boost my self-esteem or something. Raven?"

"No."

"Aww, come on," Beast Boy protested, "This is like the best game ever! Even you have to like it."

"Wasn't the one with the blonde kid and the horse supposed to be the best game ever?" Raven inquired, cocking a brow.

Beast Boy appeared to be wracking his brains for a few moments as he tried to figure out which game _that _was supposed to be. "Ohhh," he finally said, "You mean Zelda. Dude, that game is _so _six weeks ago. Doom Speed Blowout 3000 is way better." (2)

"Yeah, Raven," Cyborg said, nudging her playfully to let her know he was joking. "Get with it already."

"My ignorance shocks me at times," Raven said coolly.

Beast Boy shrugged off the comment as her usual sarcasm. "So does that mean you'll play? Pleeeease?" He shifted into a puppy with big watery green eyes to enhance his begging. As usual, Raven remained unaffected.

"Make sure he doesn't leave fur on the couch, Cyborg. I'm allergic," she said as she started to walk out of the room.

Beast Boy barked in protest and changed back into his human form. "You're so not," he said.

Raven stopped in her tracks. "How would you know? Maybe I kept one as a pet when I was a child, and my lungs nearly exploded from sneezing so hard."

"Nuh uh," Beast Boy said, although it was apparent he wasn't so certain in his denials. "They don't even have dogs back where you come from…do they?"

"You'll never know," Raven said shortly. "I'm going to my room."

When Raven's purple cloak completely disappeared from view, Beast Boy turned to Cyborg. "Dude, what is it like where Raven came from anyway?"

Cyborg shrugged. "She's never told me."

The green changeling's chest puffed out. His eyes gleamed as an idea lit in his mind. "Well, I'm taking it upon myself to find out then. I think it's time we learned a few things about Raven's past."

"Not a good idea, man," Cyborg shook his head. "I don't think Raven would like it too much if you were snooping around in her business. You know how she is."

"Not snooping," Beast Boy corrected, "_investigating_. Snooping makes it sound like I'm doing something wrong."

"You probably are," Cyborg said.

Beast Boy waved him off flippantly. "Whatever, dude. By the end of this, you're gonna be begging me for information on Raven. I betcha I'll find some killer blackmail."

"Blackmail you'll never be able to use since she'll kill you first," Cyborg warned.

"Please," said a feminine voice upon entering the room with another boy, their leader, "I do not wish for friend Beast Boy to die. Who is threatening his being?"

"Raven will," Cyborg answered as he turned to face their friends Starfire and Robin, "once she finds Beast Boy _snooping_ through her stuff."

"Investigating," Beast Boy insisted.

"No," Robin said immediately. "I won't allow it."

"It's just a little honest fun, Robin," Beast Boy whined.

Starfire looked puzzled. "Why would friend Beast Boy do the ritual of snooping in friend Raven's possessions? What is snooping?"

"He was going to look through Raven's stuff because he's an idiot with a death wish," Cyborg said, glaring at the green changeling.

"Am not," Beast Boy argued. He turned to Starfire. "Haven't you ever wondered what Raven's past was like?"

"I do not," Starfire shook her head. Her eyes were bright as she continued, "she has told me!"

Beast Boy's jaw dropped. "No way. When?"

"When we were being threatened by the Puppet Master, and friend Raven and I had mistakenly deposited ourselves into one another's bodies. I had little control over friend Raven's powers, so she spoke with me of their origin," Starfire explained.

"Really?" Beast Boy said eagerly. "What did she say?"

Starfire frowned. "I do not believe that it was friend Raven's wishes that I share what she told me in confidence with you."

"Drop it, Beast Boy," Robin warned.

"Aww, come on, Star. You have to have to have to. Please?" Beast Boy begged, pointedly ignoring the other boy.

Starfire looked uncertain as she glanced from an enthusiastic Beast Boy to a stoic Robin. "I do not believe…"

"Staaar," Beast Boy whined. "I want to know about Raven's past."

The red-haired alien opened her mouth uncertainly to speak again when another voice, the voice of a stranger, cut her off abruptly. "Forgive me for interrupting, but I'd like to think I know a little bit more about Raven than this _Tamaranean_."

The four Titans spun around to see a red cloaked figure lounging against their couch. Cyborg's eyes bugged out as he stuttered, "Wha-? How…How did you…security…How did you get past the security system?"

The figure chuckled. "Back where I come from, it's much harder to disable the alarms. You really should consider updating your system. It can't make heads or tails of phasing."

"Raven's the only person we know that can do something like that," Cyborg said faintly.

Robin stepped forward. "Who are you?" he demanded. "Why are you in our tower?" Behind him, the other Titans slowly came to their senses and prepared themselves for battle. Cyborg trained his cannon on the stranger, green balls of energy formed in Starfire's hands, and Beast Boy shifted into a tiger.

"No need to alarm yourselves; I'm not interested in battling the _mighty _Teen Titans. I was just passing through the galaxy when I decided to visit an old friend," the figure said, amused. The voice was decidedly male. "Where is dear Raven anyway?"

Beast Boy's eyes widened. "_You _know _Raven_?"

"I like to think so," the boy shrugged. "A lot better than you all do, apparently."

"Raven's _our _friend," Robin snarled. "We know more about her than anyone."

However, the changeling took no notice of his leader's righteous anger as he sidled up to the stranger. "What can you tell me about her? Hmm? Any embarrassing moments? Trips? Falls? Strategic rips in her leotard?"

"None," a voice said shortly, but it did not come from the stranger. "Embarrassment isn't my thing."

Beast Boy squeaked as he turned to see "Raven!" He sidled away from the figure, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I was just kidding around. Not snooping or anything. No, not me. Not snooping. Never. Hehehe…"

"Save it, Beast Boy," Raven snapped, her eyes flashing in annoyance. She turned to Robin. "Who is this person supposed to be? Did you invite him?"

Before Robin could answer, the cloaked figure cut in. "Dear Raven, you don't remember me?" He sounded almost offended. "Surely it hasn't been _that_ long since we last, well…."

Raven's cheeks burned with anger at the insinuation. "Reveal yourself!"

"Very well," the stranger sighed, "although I'd rather hoped you would have figured it out on your own by now based on my charming wit and presence." He raised a pale, long-fingered hand to flick back his hood, revealing a handsome pale face, the skin tone resembling Raven's, with dark, perhaps even black, eyes and perfect black ringlets of hair falling across his forehead. A smirk curled on his thin lips.

Raven gasped. "Talan!"

The PlayStation (3) exploded in a fiery display of fireworks, nearly sending Beast Boy into hysterics had Robin not silenced him with a glare. Talan, if possible, looked even cockier. "I had a feeling I'd provoke a reaction out of you." He walked up to her lazily, tracing a slow finger down her jaw. "I always did. Tell me, Rae, did you miss me?"

"Obviously not," Raven spat. "I couldn't even remember who you were." As an afterthought she admitted, her expression distasteful, "Though I should have. A _red _cloak. Honestly. Only you had such a flare for the dramatics."

"It was one of the things you loved about me," Talan said smoothly, now stroking her hair. "You did love me, didn't you?"

"Never," Raven said sharply. A bulb shattered above her and rained glass across her hair and cloak.

Talan brushed the jagged pieces off the girl while he chuckled. "Your emotions claim otherwise. You could never control them around me."

Robin jumped in before the entire tower could be destroyed. "Who do you think you are coming in here like this?"

Talan turned a disdainful gaze on him. "Not a very bright boy, are you?" he said as he rolled his black eyes. "I'm _Talan_."

"I do not feel this Talan is a friend," Starfire said uncertainly.

The dark boy switched his attentions to her. "Oh," he said mockingly, "but I so did hope I would be _worthy _enough to be friends with a Tamaranean. I'm most distressed that I am not in your _esteemed _favor."

"That's enough, Talan," Raven said harshly.

Talan glared. "Don't tell me you've made friends with the…?"

"I have," Raven interrupted before he could insert some sort of derogatory term that would most likely send Starfire into tears. Talan had always been rather colorful with his insults.

His lip curled. "You always were known to associate with the people beneath you, _Princess_ Raven."

The Titans gasped, and Raven hung her head. "Dude," Beast Boy squeaked. "What did he just call her?" Cyborg elbowed him.

"What do you want, Talan?" Raven asked, defeated. It was best she just comply now, so Talan would leave sooner, lest he spill a few more secrets and oblige her into revealing every detail of her past with her fellow Titans. She had already been forced into giving a brief, very brief, overview of where she had come from to Starfire once, and she had no intentions of repeating the experience.

"Nothing in particular," Talan said innocently, his black eyes wide, "I was just thinking of you, and our time together, wondering if we could pick things back up where we left them." He leered at her suggestively, and Raven shuddered in what she hoped to be disgust.

"We didn't _leave _anything off; we _broke _them off. Or _you _did to be precise," Raven said icily.

"Still bitter about that, huh?" Talan said, entertained. "It wasn't anything against you, Rae, of course. You were beautiful. Streya was just easier."

"Shut up!" Raven said hotly. In the nearby vicinity, the Titans could hear a crash that sounded suspiciously like the stove. Robin winced, but it didn't matter. They were all transfixed by the scene unfolding before them.

Talan was undeterred. "Not to say that you weren't better," he breathed in her ear. He jumped back before she could blow _him _up.

Raven's form was rigid, and her voice was tight. It was obviously a struggle for her to keep her emotions under control. "Why are you here, Talan?"

"Dear, dear Raven," Talan sighed. "Does there have to be a reason to visit my favorite girl?" She glared, and he sighed again. "Yes? Well, actually, I suppose there is. I'm here to ask you," he paused for a second and swept his gaze across the other occupants of the room, "All of you, for help."

"Help?" Raven repeated incredulously. "What makes you think I'll help you?"

"Not me, Rae," Talan said, "Although I suppose you would be in an inadvertent way. I'm asking for help on the behalf of all Azarath. We've gotten into somewhat of a sticky situation, you see. I suppose you could even call it an inter-global war."

Raven's face remained blank. "With whom?"

Talan opened his mouth only to be interrupted by a sudden banging and yelling at the Titan's door. "Princess Starfire! Princess Starfire!" a chorus of meek voices screeched, "We are messengers, requesting you and your friends' aid, from…"

"Tamaran," Talan finished, a smirk on his face.

* * *

_Notes and References…_

(1) The title of the story comes from a Jimmy Eat World song named, you guessed it, Polaris. It was pretty much the inspiration for this story. Polaris is the brightest star in Ursa Minor, at the end of the handle of the little dipper, and the northern axis of the earth points toward it. It's also commonly referred to as the "North Star."

(2) I have seen my brother play Zelda once, and I'm pretty sure it's got a horse in it. He's trying to tell me now that the horse dies or gets stolen or something, but we're not going to get technical like that. As for Doom Speed Blowout 3000, as far as I know, it's completely made up.

(3) I don't know if the Titans own a PlayStation. I don't know if Zelda works on a PlayStation. Anyway, both Zelda and PlayStation don't belong to me either.


	2. Home Planet

_Author's Note: I'm so happy the last chapter got such positive feedback! It's great that Talan was so well-received since it's my first time working with an original character, and I was worried since he plays a pretty big role in the plotline. **Midnight Lies **noticed that I did slightly model him after Red X. I love Red X. The two won't be exactly alike, of course, but I do have that character in mind while I'm writing Talan. **cutter-with-a-cause **was also right in her guess that there would be Talan/Rae/Robin, but there won't be much as I'm trying to stay away from too much Main Character/OC Character romances. As for the other people who reviewed and some who even put this story on their favorites list (that's so cool!), you guys rock. Please keep reviewing. You have no idea how much I love reading reviews. It's so sad. ;)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans._

* * *

**Polaris: Home Planet**

The room was deathly silent, save for the squeals of "Princess Starfire! Please!" coming from just outside the door. As if in a daze, Robin moved to the entryway and revealed two, midget-sized orange creatures nearly falling over themselves in an attempt to knock down the door. "Princess Starfire!" they begged, "We need to speak to…"

"Princess Starfire," Talan finished for them, exasperated. "Yes, we know already. Calm yourselves, puerile creatures. He turned to the tall alien. "I assume you are the Princess they speak of?" His tone was spiteful. The creatures looked affronted but as Talan was hidden from their view, their attentions were soon diverted.

Starfire's chin rose defiantly. "I am." She glided over to the little creatures and bent before them. "Please, for what do you need assistance?"

Talan threw his arms up in the air, his cloak billowing out behind him. "Do none of you _listen_? There is a _war_, a war between the Tamaraneans and the…"

"Wicked Azaratheans!" the small orange aliens chorused together. "Vile, despicable beings, scourge of the galaxy, bane of the…"

Talan stepped forward, into their view. His lips held a threatening sneer. "Would you like to continue?"

The aliens shrieked upon recognizing his pale, pointed face and Azarathean garb, and they ran to safety behind their princess. "They have come for you! They have come for you! Escape while you can before he causes you harm!"

"Nobody has any intentions of harming anybody here," Raven spoke, mildly irritated. The small orange aliens caught sight of her as well and cowered further.

"Two!" they wept. "Two of the lowly, wretched creatures!"

Talan seemed to magnify in size as he grew truly angry for the first time. "You will hold your tongue!" he roared. "Princess Raven shall not be spoken of in such a manner!"

"Again with the Princess Raven," Beast Boy mumbled.

"Term of endearment," Raven hissed, sending him a glare.

"I should think not," Talan said scornfully. "I can't believe you didn't tell them before of your status. But then again, you always did resent the crown on your head. Why, I cannot say."

All occupants of the room turned to face her, curiosity plainly written across their features. "It was a curse," Raven said simply. They sighed and turned away, berating themselves for having expected a clear answer from the dark girl. A few moments of silence ensued, only to be shattered by the bothersome Tamaranean messengers.

"What will your answer be, Princess Starfire?" they pressed. "Will you and your friends, the Titans," the two paused in unison to send an uncertain glance Raven's way, "aid Tamaran in our struggle for victory against the Azaratheans?"

"I'm pretty sure we have a problem, guys," Beast Boy said in the silence that ensued.

"Shut up, Beast Boy," Robin ordered.

"Really now," Talan scoffed. "To be fair, I did ask first."

"Shut up, Talan," Raven ordered.

Starfire looked hesitant as she studied Raven's emotionless features. "I…I must give assistance to my home planet," she finally said as she hung her head.

The rest of the Titans seemed torn as they looked back and forth between Starfire and Raven. A collective "err" of discomfort was issued. None wanted to be the first to side with either girl. The messenger aliens, however, cheered in the background.

Talan cleared his throat. "So what will your answer be, Princess Raven? Will you also aid your home planet in our time of need?"

The room was bathed in silence once again. Raven seemed frozen into place. Tension crackled, almost audibly, through the room. Finally, Raven spoke. "I will fight in the battle." The Titans seemed to deflate while Talan's eyes lit in triumph. But Raven had not finished. "But not with the Azaratheans. I will fight alongside my friend, Starfire." Her hands flicked up her hood instantly after, to disguise any expression that might have been displayed across her face.

Every jaw in the room dropped in shock, but Starfire was the first to recover. "Oh, friend Raven!" she squealed, bounding over to her friend to envelop her in a bone-crushing hug. "You have no conception of the happiness you have bestowed upon me. I was certain your sense of loyalty to your planet would cause a rift in our friendship as we would inevitably be forced to partake in battle in opposition to each other."

"Star, if you don't let go of me now, I won't be able to battle on _any _side," Raven choked out.

Starfire released her immediately, looking sheepish. "My apologies, friend Raven. My enthusiasm was overpowering."

"It's all right, Star," Raven said tonelessly.

Slowly, the others in the room began to snap out of their respective stupors. Most of the Titans appeared relieved, glad they would not have to choose between their friends, although Raven noted that Cyborg was staring at her skeptically, and Robin also seemed to be…concerned? Why? He would have chosen to side with his precious Starfire anyway.

Out of all of them, Talan was the only one to audibly question her decision. "Your planet, Princess Raven…"

"Is not my concern anymore," Raven said sharply. "My loyalties lie with my friends now."

"Fine," Talan said, knowing when he was defeated. "Then will I align myself with the Tamaraneans as well."

"What?" gasped every other person in the room.

Talan smirked at them. "My loyalties lie with my Princess."

"If this is some type of plan to spy on Tamaran, Talan…" Raven warned.

"No deception here," Talan said cheerfully. "Read my thoughts if you must."

"Azar knows what I'll find there," Raven grumbled, but after a moment or two of silence, it was clear that she was indeed probing through his mind. A few minutes later, she gave a weary sigh, finding nothing to indicate he might be lying. "Fine. You may join us."

"Whoa," Beast Boy said, noticeably alarmed. "Can you do that with us too?"

Raven turned to face him and the rest of the uncomfortable Titans. "You all have nothing to worry about. Mind reading is something I can only do with other Azaratheans."

"And only because she's the princess," Talan put in.

Raven fixed an annoyed glower on him. "I am not the princess anymore. The Azaratheans mean nothing to me."

"Just because you ran away doesn't mean you're not still royalty," Talan said.

"Actually, it does," Raven shot back. "If my sources are right, then Azarath has placed Streya's family on the throne, making her the princess."

Talan waved her words off as if they were meaningless. "The Meere line is only the sovereign through election. You, however, dear Raven, are royalty by blood. Any time you wish to come back and reclaim your rightful place, they shall be disposed of immediately."

"They have nothing to worry about then because I'm not interested," Raven said, her tone unpleasant.

"You never were, darling. You never were."

"Will you stop with the nauseating pet names?" Raven demanded. "I'm not your darling nor your dear."

"As you wish, Princess," Talan said, at ease.

"He's gonna get it now," Beast Boy whispered to Cyborg. Cyborg shushed him hurriedly.

Raven clenched her fists. Then she unclenched them only to clench them again. The few closest to her, Talan, Starfire, and Robin could hear her muttered chant "Anger is pointless. Anger is pointless…" Slowly, her fingers relaxed. She gazed back up at Talan, her expression hard. "If I'm your princess, then you will not defy a direct order from me, correct?"

"I'm at your mercy," Talan said merrily. Beast Boy, however, blanched in the background, most likely imagining the idea of being at Raven's mercy. "I must inform you though: I'm rather abysmal at ordinary household chores. I'm more of a fun diversion kind of guy. Jokes, games, sexual favors…"

"That's enough, Talan," Raven said quickly.

"_More _than enough," Robin growled, stepping up behind her.

Talan raised his dark eyes to Robin's mask. "I was not addressing you. My offers are on the basis of a heterosexual relationship. Unless, of course, you are a long lost Azarathean prince."

Robin's face twisted, disgusted. Raven jumped back into the conversation before a brawl could be initiated. She had often seen Talan's behavior provoke another man into throwing a punch. While normally she wouldn't care, she knew Talan was strong, and despite Robin's skill in hand-to-hand fights, Talan was dirty as well. He didn't care how uneven the battlefield was, just so long as he won. He would not hesitate in bringing powers into the equation. Powers that Robin didn't possess. "Talan," she said, "as your princess, I expressly order you to hold your tongue."

Talan pouted. "You drive a hard bargain, Princess." His smile ventured on masochistic. "Anything else?"

Raven didn't miss a beat. "Yeah, actually. Stay away from me." A hard stare and flick of a dark purple cloak later, she had left the room.

The remaining Azarathean began to follow after her, but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him. "She told you to keep away, Talan," Robin said coldly. "You wouldn't defy your _princess_, would you?"

"Certainly not," Talan said with a cocky grin. "I was just looking for the bathroom. Long flight, you know?"

Robin's shoulders slumped. "Down the hall, second door on your left," he said. As an after thought, he added pointedly to the alien's retreating back, "And nowhere near Raven's room."

"I hoped not," Talan laughed as he disappeared around the corner.

"Should we really let him out of our sight, Robin?" Cyborg spoke up, his tone harsh.

"No," Robin said authoritatively. "Go monitor the security cameras. If he does anything suspicious, alert me immediately. The same goes for if he tries to go anywhere near Raven's room."

"Gotcha," Cyborg said and marched off to follow orders. He didn't mind so much. It was satisfying seeing the technology he had implanted himself into the tower put to good use.

"Starfire," Robin said, apparently still in a dictating mood, "do _something _with those things," he pointed at the tiny Tamaraneans who were currently bouncing around the room gleefully and singing the praises of their princess. "Question them and find out all we need to know about this war or throw them in a closet. I don't really care."

Starfire nodded enthusiastically. "I will propel the knowledge we need from them."

Robin scratched the back of his head. "I think you mean pump the…you know what, never mind. You go ahead and propel knowledge from them, Star."

Collecting the two small aliens, Starfire's demeanor changed from happy to slightly less happy and more serious as she began to interrogate them on the nature of the war they would be fighting in while steering them towards her room for more privacy. She spoke in the language of Tamaran, making it impossible for Robin to listen in.

He turned to the final occupant in the room. "And Beast Boy?"

Beast Boy looked eager to be useful for once. "Yeah?"

Robin seemed at a loss. "Um, you stay away from Raven too."

"Oh," Beast Boy said, literally deflating before Robin's eyes.

Robin winced. If he didn't think fast, he would have a very moody changeling on his hands. Nobody, especially him, was in the mood to deal with that. "And, uhh, clean up your PlayStation. Buy a new one or something too."

"Cool!" Beast Boy exclaimed, his eyes shining. "Can I get new games for it too?"

"Sure," Robin said, distracted.

"Awesome! Wait till you see what I bring home! They just came out with Doom Speed Blowout 3000 and _five_, and Crater Explosion Double-Loaded, _and _Super Space Galaxy Wars _with special features_!" Beast Boy said as he danced in front of his leader. Robin opened his mouth to say more, but Beast Boy raced out of the tower before he could, cackling all the way.

"Just wait! Just wait!" Robin could hear Beast Boy's faint yells in the distance.

He frowned. "Maybe I made a mistake."

"Not entirely hard to believe," Raven said, materializing behind him. "You've made plenty before." She paused for a second as if mulling something over in her head. "But I'm going to have to agree that letting Beast Boy loose in an electronics store with no limit to his spending is one of the more stupid ones."

"Thanks for the reassurance," Robin said dryly. He turned to face her. "Why aren't you in your room anyway? Was Talan bothering you? I _told _Cyborg to let me know if he was."

"No," Raven interrupted before Robin could launch himself into a full-fledged rant. "Talan actually listened for once. He hasn't come anywhere near me."

"Good, I could tell he was bothering you," Robin said. Raven's raised brow caused him to launch into an explanation. "It was dangerous. You could have exploded the TV or something."

"Nice," Raven said shortly, turning away from him.

"I was joking," Robin said hurriedly as he reached for her. "I'm sorry; it wasn't very funny."

"You were right though," Raven said. "My powers are dangerous. To everyone."

"That's not true," Robin protested.

"It is," Raven said simply. "But I've gotten better control of them. They aren't as big a threat as they used to be. Otherwise, I really might have blown up the tower earlier."

"Must have been hard to choose between your friend and your planet," Robin said sympathetically.

"I'm not in the mood to discuss it," Raven said.

"But…"

Raven cut him off sharply before he could finish. "I ran away from Azarath, Robin. That's how bad it was. I had no intentions of helping them even before I knew they were fighting Tamaran."

"If you say so," Robin said, uncertain.

"I do," Raven said. "And I don't appreciate you insinuating that I'm a liar."

"I'm not," Robin said, eyes wide behind his mask.

"You are, but I'm not in the mood to argue," Raven countered.

Robin opened his mouth then shut it again. An awkward silence ensued in which he repeated the process a few more times before Raven walked out of the room towards the kitchen, not sparing another word for him. Robin frowned. Lately, he had noticed her doing that a lot. It was if the short conversation preceding her exit exhausted all the words she had to use for the day, and she was too winded for even a goodbye. Robin sighed as he heard clinking from inside the kitchen, no doubt Raven making her herbal tea. He, for one, did not know how she could swallow the stuff.

He stood in center of the room for a couple more minutes and listened to Raven move around the kitchen. _This is pointless_, he thought, exasperated. _Maybe I should go watch the cameras with Cyborg or something. _He nodded to himself, unable to think of a better plan, and strolled out of the room and into the hallway. He was just passing by the training room when he bumped into his least favorite person at the moment, Talan. Robin was determined to walk by and ignore the alien, but Talan stepped right in front of him, blocking his pathway.

"Yes?" Robin said, after attempting to sidestep the other boy and failing. Talan was quick.

The Azarathean smirked. "Nice place you got here. Rooms are big and well…roomy."

"It's a common quality," Robin said as he rolled his eyes. Talan couldn't see, of course, but his tone more than conveyed his aversion.

Talan was undeterred. "However, I did notice—not really any guest bedrooms set up or anything."

"That's too bad," Robin said. "I guess you'll have to find somewhere else to stay. The city just bought new park benches."

Eyes flashing momentarily, Talan was quick to compose himself. "Oh, really now. No need for that. Like I said, the rooms are big, and I don't take up much space." Now, his eyes gleamed. "I'd be more than willing to share with somebody."

Robin caught the insinuation immediately. "You're not going anywhere near Raven. I doubt she'd ever be willing to share with you anyway."

Talan laughed. It was smooth and effortless, much like everything else about him. "That's where you're wrong. Raven has gladly shared her bed with me in the past."

The tips of Robin's ears burned as an angry flush spread across the back of his neck and his cheeks. "That's enough, Talan," he said, echoing Raven's words from earlier in the day. The guy had a way of pushing the limits of what was acceptable.

However, Talan paid no heed. "What's the matter, Robin? You don't like hearing about past encounters Raven's had? Does it bother you? Are you embarrassed? No, better yet, are you _jealous_?"

"No," Robin said firmly, determined not to let Talan get to him.

"Really?" the other boy whispered, close to his ear. "You don't feel anything in the slightest at the image of Raven under me, panting _my_ name? Nothing stirs when you think about how in love she was with me, back when she wasn't as strict with her emotions?"

"Shut up, Talan," Robin said. His voice was tighter now.

Talan crossed his arms, satisfied. "So you _do _feel something. Poor color-blinded creature is jealous, after all."

Robin finally broke. He lunged forward at the unsuspecting Azarathean boy, pinning him to the wall. "I'm _not_," he hissed.

"Then why are you getting so upset?" Talan asked, obviously amused.

"Raven doesn't deserve to be talked about that way by anyone, especially a lowlife like you."

"Defending her honor, are you?" Talan said, an eyebrow quirked, "How…touching."

Robin snarled. His hold on Talan's cloak grew tighter. "Raven's my friend."

"Why she'd choose you as a friend is beyond me," the alien said condescendingly.

"Well, she definitely has better taste in friends than in boyfriends," Robin challenged.

"I wouldn't have called myself a boyfriend," Talan said thoughtfully. His smirk deepened. "But I suppose she may have."

"You're sick," Robin growled.

"I only speak the truth," Talan said, failing to look innocent. "I'm afraid I meant much more to dear Princess Raven than she did to me back then. But with her best friend Streya waiting for me in her bed, how could I really take the relationship seriously?"

"Bastard!" Robin roared, pulling back his fist in hopes of knocking out a few of those perfectly white teeth revealed by a cruel sneer. Before his fist could make a connection, however, two things happened. Talan sent a black wall of magic between them, and somebody pulled his arm back from behind.

"Whoa, Robin," Cyborg said. "I don't think Raven would like you beating up on her friend."

"Trust me," Robin said, glaring, "I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

Cyborg sighed. "Maybe not. But I still think it'd be best not to punch someone out while they're staying with us."

"If you had heard the things he said…" Robin said, shaking his head. He wouldn't be the one to repeat what Talan had said so crudely about Raven.

Cyborg seemed to sense this and let it pass. "Then I'd probably be right beside you, man, I know. Maybe it's best that I didn't hear. Come on, just let the little weasel go, and we'll cool off somewhere."

It wasn't often Cyborg was the voice of reason, but he was convincing when he was, Robin mused as he reluctantly loosened his hold on the Azarathean. Talan was smart and knew to take an exit when offered, but not without an insolent wink as a parting gift.

"I really don't like that guy," Robin said as he watched Talan's red cloak disappear from view. Cyborg nodded in agreement.

* * *

_Notes and References..._

(1) The video games are made up. Again. Just don't even bother thinking I know anything about that stuff.

(2) Raven and Robin aren't together yet. They don't even like each other in that way yet despite what Talan said. Don't worry it'll come. It's going to be a gradual thing. But right now they're just good friends.


	3. The Black Fire

_Author's Note: Thanks for all the great reviews last chapter! Sorry I didn't get this out sooner…the only explanation I can really give is, well, stuff happens, you know? This chapter goes more into what caused the war and probably will make you all dislike Talan more than you already do. **Angst equinox**, I haven't read your story, but I'll be sure to check it out if you mention the title in a review. I swear I wasn't trying to copy Talan off anybody else's OC, so I can't really explain how he and yours ended up so much alike. **Linnath**- that would be the easy way out ;). No, I said there would be a war and there definitely will be a war. Hopefully starting by next chapter. **The Goddess Athena **brought up a question about everybody's age in the story. Umm…well Robin's still Robin and not Nightwing if that gives you any idea. So I guess still somewhere in their teens. Probably around 16/17. I think that's about all I was meaning to address review-wise. If you've got any questions, critiques, or just random stuff you like to talk about, leave a review or send me an email!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. _

* * *

**Polaris: The Black Fire**

Back in the kitchen, Raven was nursing a hot cup of tea. Her eyes fluttered shut as she brought the drink up to her lips and took a sip. As she brought the cup back down, she sighed. Her fingers reached up to massage her temples.

Azarath meant nothing to her. Less than nothing. She had left that planet long ago with no intention of returning. They had been such a power-hungry civilization led by a power-hungry ruler, a _demon_, her father. While they weren't necessarily evil like he was, they were certainly not without fault. Even for a princess, Raven had been somewhat of an outcast in her world. She had no interest in ambition and clawing her way to the top. She had no use for attending social functions or leading conquests. She had simply wanted to be left alone.

The problem was the Azaratheans were not only petty, they were smart. Waging war against them…she wondered what had possessed the Tamaraneans. What in Azar's name had offended them so badly that they were willing to battle against one of the most intelligent, advanced civilizations in the galaxy?

Unless Tamaran had something up its sleeve, Raven knew this would be tough, almost impossible battle. As a rule, the people of Azarath would do _anything _to win against anybody. Challenges were meant to be overcome, and enemies were meant to be destroyed. Raven had grown up on that mantra.

Raven felt the aura of someone stepping up behind her. Her lip curled.

"I told you to stay away."

She could feel surprise radiating off him.

"You've gotten better," he said, "I'm impressed."

Raven opened her mouth to speak again, but Talan cut her off.

"But not good enough. Any other Azarathean would have heard me before I even entered the room."

"The people of Azarath don't have half the powers I do," Raven retorted, "and the powers they do have are cheap technological copies."

"They weren't cheap," Talan disagreed, chuckling.

"They're still copies."

"I don't think you understand, Raven," he said silkily. He took a step forward, closer to her. "We don't just copy _your_ powers anymore. Azarath has made incredible scientific advances these past few years. We have duplicated the powers of over twenty other civilizations. With the press of a button, I could create an electrical surge so powerful it could black out the entire city."

"The Zorbecks," Raven whispered. "But they're…"

"Light years away from us," Talan smirked. "I know."

"Who else have you copied?" Raven demanded.

"Oh, you know," Talan said, waving a hand expressively, "The Darthorns, the Neosiams, the Sesitians…the worlds with great power but with little use."

"And why do you target these planets?" Raven asked suspiciously. A light bulb was flickering on in her head, but she needed more details.

Talan laughed. "You always were sharp. You're halfway to figuring this little puzzle out, aren't you?" She only glared, and he continued. "Dear Raven, don't you see? Azarath was only trying to rid the universe of unnecessarily clutter—a noble gesture if you ask me. The Zorbecks could generate enough electricity to power an entire galaxy for over a century. But they didn't. They lacked the mental capacity to recognize what they could really do. So Azarath came in. We found a way to copy their abilities, to generate the same power." The corner of his lips curled upwards into a sadistic smile. "But of course, once we had their power, there was no use for them anymore. They were—what did I say earlier—unnecessary clutter."

"So you stole their powers and then destroyed their planet," Raven said flatly. "Nice to see Azarath's morals haven't changed."

"This is so far above morals, Raven dear. This is a scientific revolution! Azarath could someday have the capabilities of millions of civilizations at their fingertips!"

"In exchange for millions of lives," Raven said. Her voice was dry and unyielding. "And the people there wonder why they're called evil."

"Small price," Talan shrugged.

"Uh huh," Raven said, "so tell me, Talan, which civilization is Azarath targeting now?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he said, grinning. "The Tamaraneans never were anything but a bunch of useless troqs. Why they were blessed with such strength is beyond me."

"You'll be fighting alongside Tamaran," Raven reminded him. "It would be wise to grow some respect."

"Details," Talan waved her off. "I'm only doing this because of you."

"By all means," Raven said, "leave if you want. I've got no desire to stretch out this little visit."

"I said I would be loyal to my princess, and I'll be damned if that isn't what I do," Talan said stubbornly. He ruined the chivalric mood, however, with a nudge and knowing wink. "Noble of me, isn't it? Do you find that endearing?"

Raven's expression twisted in irritation. "Nothing about you is endearing, Talan."

"Oh, come on now, Rae princess," Talan smirked. "We all know I'm attractive."

"What you are is far too egotistical for your own good," Raven snapped, "I fail to see that as attractive."

Talan smiled dangerously. He took a step towards her, and she took a quick step back in return. "I think you do see it, Princess."

"And that's exactly why I'm backing away from you," Raven said dryly. "You know, most people would think that meant the other person found them repulsive, but if you want to call it attraction…"

"You're backing away because you're scared," Talan cut in. He took two swift steps towards her and caught her wrist before she could move. He fixed his gaze on her, and she glared back defiantly. He had always found this unbelievably alluring. The girl claimed to be emotionless, but her intensity couldn't be matched.

"Do I look scared to you?" she demanded.

"No," Talan admitted, "you look fierce, and it's pretty hot. But that doesn't mean you're not scared. I know you, Rae."

"Really?" she said doubtfully.

"Really," Talan confirmed.

She smirked. It was humorless. "Then you should know what I mean when I do this." She caused the oven she had broken earlier to fly towards him on a wave of dark magic, and Talan barely had enough time to let go of her and duck before it smashed him. It flew back around for a few more shots at him, and he was forced to dodge those as well. Raven sauntered out of the kitchen as the oven continued to harass the other Azarathean. Her smirk was erased, however, at the words that followed her.

"You're turning to homicide then. With an oven as your weapon of choice, no less. I must have_ really_ gotten under your skin."

She scowled and continued down the hallway, choosing not to respond. Even attacking Talan with a household appliance could not garner her any satisfaction. It was frustrating. So frustrating, in fact, that while she turned the previous encounter over in her head, trying to think of a way she could have stung him as she did with Beast Boy so easily, Raven passed by Starfire without noticing, even after the fourth time Starfire called out to her retreating back.

"_Friend Raven_!" Starfire called again. It was the closest she had ever come to being exasperated with one of her teammates. The edge to her voice finally seemed to catch Raven's ear, and the dark girl twisted around in surprise.

"Something you wanted?" she said coolly.

It was obvious Starfire had been taken off guard by Raven's unfriendly tone. Her face contorted into one of confusion and hurt, and Raven felt guilt seize her for a second before she shoved the rampant emotion back where it belonged. "I was wishing to call a meeting of the team," Starfire said in a small voice. "We have much to discuss."

"I'll be there," Raven said, careful to chip away at the ice in her voice. "Just let me stop by my room for a second, okay?"

Starfire nodded. She did not leave, however, instead fidgeting where she stood. Raven knew better, but she paused anyway. "Anything else?" she sighed, exasperated.

Her teammate offered a weak smile. She seemed hesitant to speak. "Please, friend Raven, I do not wish for this war to invite the Reckmas."

_The Drifting_, Raven remembered. She made a face. _Tamarans and their stupid superstitions. _She regretted the thought as soon as it flitted across her mind; it was exactly the kind of derogatory thinking the Azaratheans had thought when they decided Tamaran was a useless planet. She was not, and would not be, like them.

"That won't happen, Star," Raven assured her. Assuming the conversation was done, she resumed walking towards her room.

"You must promise me, Friend Raven," a voice called out solemnly. Raven twisted back around to see Starfire staring at her with wide green eyes. She was looking for something…_confirmation_, Raven realized.

"Did you not believe me the first time?" Raven lifted a brow. This was very unusual behavior for her friend. Raven had never seen her so serious and determined.

Starfire obviously was not pleased with the dark girl's response. Her lower lip jutted out in a perfect pout, and her eyes softened from searching to imploring. "Friend Raven, _please_."

Raven regarded her carefully. She herself hadn't given much thought to it, but it was apparent that Starfire was very distressed by the idea that this war could tear apart their friendship. It was touching, really, if not rather silly. Raven knew who her real friends were. And she knew they sure as hell weren't the arrogant army of pale people running around in different colored cloaks. Nevertheless, she complied and offered Star a rare, though somewhat aggravated, smile. "I promise, Star. There won't be any Reckmas-ing around here."

Starfire broke out into a smile herself. "Glorious!" she exclaimed, running over to her friend and throwing her arms around her in the second bone-crushing hug of the day. Raven winced; _this _was more like the Starfire she knew. "Simply wonderful! Thank you, friend Raven!"

"No big deal," Raven choked out before Starfire finally let go of her. Starfire shook her head, somber again. Raven didn't think she liked the change in her friend's personality.

"It is a _very _big deal," Starfire said. "You are my only female companion. You are my closest friend. I would grieve for the loss of our meditations together should the Reckmas occur."

"It won't," Raven reassured her firmly. She smirked. "Besides, who else am I supposed to meditate with? Beast Boy? The tower would be blown into bits, starting with his stupid tofu."

Starfire, however, was not laughing. "I am afraid you do not take this seriously enough, but you have promised me. I will trust your words."

Raven fidgeted uncomfortably. "I should get back to my room now. I'm behind on my meditation."

"I understand," Starfire nodded. "I must call the meeting of the team now as well. Will you join us?"

"Soon," Raven promised.

"I will be seeing you then," the orange-skinned alien said in way of a farewell.

Raven rolled her eyes as she turned around. "Yeah, see ya, Star."

Starfire stared at Raven's back until she disappeared around the corner. Her normally bright features were troubled. She did not wish to upset the balance of her precarious relationship with her friend, but she had to fight in this war. It was her duty as the Princess of Tamaran. Her precious planet was in danger of destruction at the hand of the Azaratheans.

She had always pledged to do what was best for Tamaran, no matter the price. She loved her planet, and she would not let it be demolished without a fight. Starfire had confidence in the ability of her friends and herself. Though Azarath was clever and cunning, the Tamaraneans were resolute in their devotion to their planet. They were a pure and good race, and Starfire was a firm believer that good always won out in the end.

"We will be victorious," Starfire said aloud as she entered the kitchen.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Princess," a voice answered nastily. Starfire's head shot up to see a rather disheveled looking Talan sneering at her in the midst of what appeared to be the wreckage of their oven. Starfire felt a strong displeasure lick at the insides of her stomach. It was a fairly unfamiliar feeling for her, usually felt solely in the presence of her sister and perhaps Kitten.

"I think you are underestimating the strength of Tamaran," she said.

"Or maybe you overestimate it," Talan shot back lazily. "Azarath has defeated many worlds before yours. What makes you think Tamaran can succeed where the others have failed?"

"I have faith in the lorkna of my people and friends," Starfire said simply.

"Faith," Talan snorted. "A meaningless word if there ever was one. Face it, Princess, they and their make-believe _lorkna _will fail you, and your planet will fall to the mercy of Azarath."

"They will _not_!" Starfire said hotly. Balls of green energy spiraled in her hands activated by a heavy dose of righteous fury. Her fingers tightened around them.

"Now, now," Talan said, smiling dangerously. "No need for that, Princess. I'm on your side, remember? I don't want to fight you."

"You are a bad man," Starfire said, her eyes glowing green as well. "Tamaran would not benefit from your aid."

"That's where you're wrong," Talan hissed. "I can prove it to you, right here. We'll pit the powers of Tamaran against those of Azarath. Then you'll see how much trouble your precious planet is actually in."

"I am not afraid of you," Starfire proclaimed. She floated a few inches off the ground into the air in hopes of intimidation.

"No?" Talan said, lifting a brow. The smile played on his face again. "Well, you will be." He snapped his fingers and a black and red flame ignited on his fingers, licking at his palms but apparently not burning at him. Starfire's eyes widened, and Talan laughed. "Are you getting the idea now, Princess? Do you see what lengths Azarath has taken to achieve the ultimate power?"

"Dear Zol," Starfire whispered, temporarily stunned. Talan's echoing laughter eventually broke through her stupor, and she shook herself back to consciousness. Her eyes burned with anger again. "You are evil," she snapped. She drew back her arm and sent the green ball of energy she had been holding hurtling towards him.

Talan dodged the attack easily, and it soared past him only to explode against the back wall, leaving a decent sized hole. When he looked back up at Starfire, his black eyes seemed different, lost maybe. "No, not evil," he said, "just misguided." His tone almost seemed bitter, and for a moment, Starfire felt pity rise inside her.

Then she looked back at the fire in his hands. The feeling was quick to dissipate. "There are some things that cannot be forgiven," she said.

Talan froze where he stood. "What happened to that famous Tamaran compassion, huh?" he asked wryly.

"Compassion is only given to those whom are deserving," Starfire said. "You are not." Two more spheres of energy formed in her hands. Her face screwed up in concentration and rage. She would not miss again.

This did not go unnoticed by Talan. "Are you sure you want to do this, Princess?" he asked coldly. He lifted his left hand, which cupped the fire he had created.

"You do not frighten me!" Starfire roared. She hurled the spheres at him as if to prove her point.

Talan clenched his fist and the flame extinguished. He then threw his right hand out in front of himself and a black shield much like Raven's materialized in front of him, effectively knocking away the green globes. To retaliate, he did not call up the fire again, but instead pointed a clenched fist in her direction and with his other hand pressed a button embedded in the skin of his wrist, sending out a wave of crackling electricity at her.

Starfire ducked below the bolts, though a tickling feeling in her scalp told her she had at least been singed at the tips of her hair. She squinted her eyes and sent out her green beams in his direction. A yell told her she had made contact.

"Tamaranean bitch," Talan hissed as the green film disappeared from her eyes, and she could see properly again. His cloak had been blown back, revealing baggy black clothes underneath. His hands clutched at his chest, and he was slightly hunched over. Starfire stood again from her hunched position on the floor, and before she could inquire as to his well-being (this was friend Raven's boy, after all) his eyes burned red, and one of the hands clutching his chest erupted into flames again, and he threw it at her.

She dodged to avoid the attack, but the flame caught her trailing right hand. Starfire screeched in agony as the waves of pain echoed through her hand and spread to the rest of her body. It was unlike anything she had felt before, and it made the idea of cutting off her own hand a welcome alternative to this anguish.

Talan stared at his hands in horror as she keeled over. Her screams attracted the attention of the rest of the team, and they came racing in, Robin at the forefront. Cyborg and Beast Boy yelled when they saw the scene in front of them.

"What did you do?" Robin demanded as he knelt beside a screeching Starfire. He was torn between comforting her and running over to tear him limb from limb. He settled for patting Starfire on the back and trying to coax her into letting him see the hand she was huddling over when he saw Raven step up to confront Talan. His eyes remained glued to the scene.

"What did you do?" she repeated, though Robin suspected her words had a much stronger impact than his. They were dripping with ice and ordered attention. She was the picture of intimidation.

Talan's face melted into a grim detachment. "She wanted to know what we were up against. So I showed her."

"Showed her what exactly?" Raven barked.

He refused to meet her eyes. "Something I've picked up along the way. She'll tell you."

Raven glanced back at a hysterical Starfire pointedly. "I really don't think she's in any condition to explain anything to us right now, Talan."

"I can fix that," Talan said. His dark eyes were unreadable, and his aura completely closed. Raven had no way of knowing what he was feeling at the moment. He reached for Starfire. "Let me see her."

Robin drew Starfire in close. "Don't you think you've done enough?"

Talan's eyes flashed. "Do you want me to heal her or not?"

"Can't Raven do that?" he asked sharply.

Shaking his head, Talan sighed. "Not this kind of injury."

Robin looked over at Raven who, in turn, looked over at Talan. His eyes were steady on Starfire. It was possible that she may not be able to heal Starfire as he claimed, but…there were very few injuries that were beyond her capability. What had he done?

"He may be right," Raven told Robin as she turned back to face Starfire writhing in his arms. Her hand remained hidden as she clutched it against her and folded the rest of her body around it. "Let him see her."

"You'll have to back away," Talan added. Robin looked like he wanted to protest, but Raven shook her head. Reluctantly, he withdrew his arms from around the alien and walked over to stand beside Raven.

"You sure this is a good idea?" he muttered.

"Look at her, Robin. This is obviously out of my league," she spoke in return. "Besides, Talan isn't stupid enough to hurt her with all of us around."

"He did it once," Robin said tightly.

Raven did not speak again.

Talan, meanwhile, had already made his way over to a now hoarse Starfire and knelt in front of her. Through her hysterics, Starfire seemed to notice who was in her presence and shrank back accordingly. "No, no," he murmured. "The fight's over. I'm going to help you now."

"Liar," Starfire gasped through her tears. "You are a liar! You are a bad, bad man."

Talan shook his head impatiently. "I'm on your side. I was just showing you…" he trailed off and reached for her hand instead. "Let me look at it."

"Friend Robin," Starfire sobbed, "Friend Robin, _please_, do not let him. Friend Robin…"

Robin stepped forward, and Raven's hand shot out to wrap around his wrist. Her eyes were not on him but on Talan. He followed her gaze to what looked to him like Talan grabbing at Starfire roughly, causing her to screech in pain. Raven could obviously see something that he couldn't. "He won't hurt her again," she said in a near whisper. Her eyes drifted to Cyborg and Beast Boy, who looked ready to attack as well. Beast Boy was already in tiger form, crouching low, ready to pounce. "Change back," she commanded.

Looking confused, Beast Boy nevertheless did what he was told. Cyborg shot her a look but also lowered his cannon. All eyes turned back to Talan.

By this point, Talan had already pried Starfire's hand out from the enclave she had created around it with her body and enshrouded it from view with his cloak. The room was deathly silent, save for the occasional whimper from Starfire, but even those were few and far between now. Whatever Talan was doing seemed to be working. As the final tear track dried on her face, Talan released her hand and backed away. Starfire immediately brought her hand in close again.

"She's healed," Talan said as he stood and faced them all. "I did the best I could, but scarring was unavoidable. It should fade over time." He turned to face Raven exclusively. "She'll need it wrapped," he directed, "for vanity as much as anything. It's not pretty."

Raven nodded. She had some advice for him as well. "You should go, Talan. Wait in my room, and I'll deal with you later. Touch anything, and I won't be nearly as forgiving as I am now."

Talan bowed his head in acceptance. He seemed incapable of the smart remarks that had littered his speech earlier. After a wary glance at the angry faces of the other Titans, he swept out of the room. They all watched the door swing shut behind him.

"Are you okay, Starfire?" Robin asked immediately after. He hurried to her side.

She smiled, though her eyes were clouded with distress and the aftershocks of her pain. "I am fine, friend Robin. The injury does not cause me pain any longer. However, I have discovered something most troubling. I wish for us to reconvene in the room of controls for an emergency meeting of the team."

The others exchanged glances and nodded. "Sure, Star," Robin said. "Let me help you up."

"I am fine, friend Robin," she insisted stubbornly, pulling away. "I thank you for your concern, but I am capable of standing myself." She did just that to prove her words, careful to keep her hand out of view from the rest of her team. Robin's expression tightened, hurt by her actions, though it was only noticed by Raven.

"Okay, then," he said. "I guess we should head over to the Control Room now. Let's go, Titans."

Starfire led the way, floating in front of the rest of them and diligently guarding her hand from view.

* * *

_Notes and References..._

(1) I've been doing this since the first chapter, but I thought I'd note it now. As far as the spelling _Azarathean _and _Tamaranean _go as opposed to _Azarathian _and _Tamaranian_, I got it off a website. Yes, I was geeky enough to double-check this.

(2) Umm, I mention the Reckmas in here somewhere. Means, as Raven pointed out, the drifting. Got it from How Long is Forever? If you haven't seen it already, I recommend watching it once, just because there are a few great quotes (Raven: Great, Robin, more yelling will definitely stop all the yelling) and because future Raven rocks in a creepy, sad kind of way, and then never again because you will start noticing more and more the Starfire/Nightwing moments, and they will annoy you more and more and…

(3) I realize Azarath as a whole is drastically OOC. For the purposes of this story, it had to be. I mean, Tamaran can't fight a world if it's _destroyed _can it? Pretend with me, if you will. I'm well aware that my Azarath does not tie in with canon Azarath.

(4) Starfire said something like "Dear Zol" in this chapter. That came from Betrothed. I'm assuming it's the equivalent of "Dear God."

(5) Um, the chapter title wasn't meant as a pun on Starfire's sister's name. Not until I typed it and realized what I had done and decided it _had _to stay that way. Blackfire, the character not the chapter, is great.

(6) Please, please review!


	4. Lift Off

_Author's Note: Chapter four took a loooong time. I had it written, and then I didn't like it, and then…You get it. I'm making excuses. Look forward to some more Talan/Raven banter, some Robin/Star hints (I **swear **this will end up Rob/Rae), and a few Rob/Rae moments as well. Like I said before, don't be a read-and-not-reviewer! I really want to hear what you guys think. The response for last chapter was pretty great. Keep it up!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. If I did, Stranded would have had Rob and Rae on that stupid planet together._

* * *

**Polaris: Lift Off**

"Dude," Beast Boy squeaked after Starfire had finished explaining the nature of the war they would be fighting in. "They just kill them? Just like that? Man, I figured Raven didn't come from the nicest place, but that's just plain _evil_."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Raven asked irritably.

Beast Boy looked at her blankly. "You don't think what Azarath is doing is evil?"

"Of course I do," Raven said. "I was talking about what you said before that."

"What?" Beast Boy said and for a moment it appeared he was genuinely wracking his brains to remember. "Ohhh, you mean that thing about how I didn't think you came from a nice place?" He laughed uncomfortably under her glare. "Well, you're not exactly Ms. Cheery-Sunshine-Kitten-Lover, are you?"

"Nice," Raven scowled. She looked like she wanted to say more, but Robin cut her off.

"Guys, this isn't really the time," he admonished before turning back to Starfire. "Okay, so now that we know what we're up against, when do we leave? And for how long?"

"We must make haste, friend Robin. The war has already begun. The messengers from my planet have requested we leave by tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Beast Boy howled. "But that only gives us like…not enough time! We're supposed to just jump into a war against freaky goth people who have about fifty million different powers without any kind of training at all?"

"Looks that way," Robin said grimly.

"It _is_ dangerous, Robin," Cyborg pointed out. "Maybe we should think this over. At least let me try and develop something that might help us out. It should only take a couple weeks or so."

Robin looked like he was willing to consider the idea, but Starfire broke in with a vehement, "No!" Before their eyes, she seemed to swell to twice her usual size, fueled by her own righteous indignation. "I promised to do what was right for my people, and this would _not _be right. We must leave tomorrow by the rise of the sun."

"Sunrise?" Beast Boy moaned. "This just keeps getting better and better."

"Starfire, I have the rest of our team to think about," Robin tried to reason with her. "I have to do what's best for _all _of us."

"We cannot delay our departure for two weeks," Starfire insisted. However, it was becoming clear that she was losing the argument.

"She's right," Raven said unexpectedly. All eyes swiveled to her, incredulous. She matched them with a cool stare. "If we're going to help Tamaran at all, we have to leave right away. We could wait for two weeks for some fancy technology, but by then, Azarath might have some new powers and there might not be a Tamaran to help anymore." She spoke impassively, as if the fate of her friend's planet did not concern her in the least.

"You really think it might be over that fast?" Robin inquired curiously. He trusted Raven's opinion.

Raven shrugged. "No way to tell, for sure. But Azarath is ruthless." She smiled, though it was humorless. "You all might have your ideas about how a war is supposed to be, but Azarath doesn't play by the rules. Tamaran is only a passing interest for them. They'll want to move onto bigger and better things soon enough. They'll do anything to speed things up so the war will be as quick and painless as possible," she paused, mulling over her words. "Well, quick and painless for Azarath, anyway."

"Tamaran will prove to be a worthy opponent," Starfire said after Raven's little speech. She looked somewhat offended by her friend alluding that Tamaran could be taken down so easily.

Raven shrugged. She would not add insult to Starfire's wounded pride by arguing, but she would not take back her words either. She spoke the truth.

"So we really have no choice," Robin sighed. "Okay then, team, we'd better start getting ready. Cyborg, you get the T-Ship ready."

"How much fuel should I put in it?" Cyborg asked.

"Oh, right," Robin said, remembering the long-forgotten question he had asked Starfire earlier. "How long are we going to be fighting?"

"I will stay for as long as I am needed," Starfire said stubbornly.

Robin frowned. "Just put in as much fuel as it can carry," he told Cyborg. The half-robot nodded and set to work. Robin turned to the rest of his team. "Beast Boy, you contact the mayor and tell him we're taking a vacation. Then call up Titans East and ask them to watch over Jump City for a while."

"Some vacation," Beast Boy muttered, setting off to do his job all the same. "You'd think a bunch of superheroes could score a better trip than a Star Wars reenactment."

Robin shook his head. "I'll look in the Weapons Room and see if there's anything we might be able to use in there. Raven and Starfire, you guys keep interrogating your, um, _friends _just in case there's anything other information that might help us." He walked out, still mumbling plans and to-do lists under his breath.

"I think he's cracked," Raven said dourly after Robin was out of earshot.

Starfire gave her a wide-eyed look. "Friend Robin is _breaking_?" she cried, aghast.

"Not how you think," Raven waved her off. Starfire looked doubtful, so she changed the subject. "Your arm," Raven said, gesturing to the injury the Tamaranean had been hiding from view for almost two hours now. "You should let me see it. I can wrap it for you."

"It is not necessary, friend Raven," Starfire said, twisting her arm further behind her back.

"It would make it a lot easier to hide it from the rest of the team," Raven reasoned with her.

Starfire shifted uneasily. "It is hideous," she said bluntly. "You will not be frightened by it?"

Raven almost smiled. "I've seen scarier things."

Starfire seemed unconvinced, but she slowly brought her arm out from behind her. Raven's eyes widened despite her promise. It was black and charred, and the few places where orange skin remained were covered in painful blisters. Starfire noted her friend's expression and brought it back immediately. "You are horrified by my disfigurement," she cried reproachfully.

"No, Starfire," Raven said hurriedly. "It's not that. It's not you. I just can't believe…Talan…"

"You are also aware of how my injury was caused," Starfire said sagely.

"It was only a legend," Raven whispered.

"On Tamaran, it is considered one of the greatest evils to take the life of a child," Starfire said, watching Raven intently for any sort of reaction.

Raven shot her a withering glare. "Don't preach to me," she said. "It's evil on Azarath too. I don't know where Talan got this sort of power, but I doubt he or anyone else would have sunken that low."

"I am sorry for the insinuation," Starfire said, though her tone remained doubtful.

Raven quickly schooled her expression into the blank one she normally wore. "Just let me wrap your arm."

Starfire complied without protest, sensing that they both needed a reprieve. Enough words had been exchanged between the two friends that day. In most cases, what had occurred would be enough to destroy a friendship, and Starfire felt lucky that the bond between her and Raven was stronger. She was confident in the security of Raven's promise that they would not be torn apart by the war.

Raven, however, had her doubts. It was all part of being her, really, she mused as she retrieved spare gauze from a drawer and began to wrap the ugly stump that was Starfire's arm on an otherwise flawless body. On any other person, the wound might have seemed out-of-place, but on Starfire it just seemed _wrong_. She was supposed to be pure and untainted and beautiful, and this injury, this _disfigurement_, marred that perfection. It made her less than she had been before. And it was only a surface wound.

Raven had seen war before. Azarath was not shy when it came to making enemies. She had seen what war could do to people. Wounds caused by war were not only on the surface, they were deeper. They were _inside _a person, clawing and biting at him, slowly eating him away emotionally and mentally. The scars they left weren't visible, but they were much more painful. They were a disfigurement in a person's mind and heart, and Raven feared that it may have been more than Starfire could handle. More than their friendship could handle.

But she had promised Starfire, and she would fight to keep that promise. Some things were worth fighting for, even if it was a futile battle.

"I'm done," Raven said, releasing Starfire's arm after making a neat tie to keep the gauze in its place.

"I thank you, friend Raven, for the time you have spent on the wrapping of my arm," Starfire said, pleased upon seeing how carefully the bandages had been wrapped to cover every last inch of burned skin.

"Welcome, Star," Raven said automatically. She shifted. "I should go have a talk with Talan now."

Starfire's gaze darkened considerably. Raven was unused to the sight and found she didn't care to become used to it either. She much preferred the happy, perky version of her friend, even if she often found her aggravating. This was the reason she walked out of the room without another word or glance in Starfire's direction. It was much easier than facing the very real possibility that this war could change them.

When she arrived in her room, Talan was pacing incessantly. It did nothing to improve her mood. "Sit," she commanded, feeling the beginnings of a massive headache. She needed tea. Or coffee. Or any type of caffeine. Preferably injected straight into the vein.

"How did your team meeting go?" Talan asked as he sat on the bed beside her. She gave him a pointed look, and he wisely scooted away.

Raven rubbed her forehead. "We haven't decided to kick you out if that's what you're asking."

"Then what did you decide?" Talan persisted, somewhat surprised.

"Truthfully, we didn't talk about you," Raven said. She glanced over at him and saw he seemed offended by this almost. "Don't give me that look. You're lucky. You've made such a bad impression that I'm sure pretty much everybody wants you gone."

"Do you?" Talan smirked.

Raven glared. "What I want is none of your concern." She paused. "But I do think that you would be useful. We wouldn't have any insight into Azarath's attack methods or plans if you weren't here."

"So if it came down to a vote you would…"

"Don't test me, Talan," Raven warned. "After what happened with Starfire, you should be begging for my forgiveness not annoying me."

"You don't forgive," Talan said, obviously speaking from past experience.

"Or forget," Raven shot back. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't at least try. What you did deserves some serious groveling and maybe even a little bribing."

Talan's gaze darkened. "I know."

"Where in Azar's name did you even get those powers?"

It was silent in the room for a few minutes. Luckily, Raven was patient. Talan finally opened his mouth to speak, smirking, though Raven could feel a very faint sense of regret radiating from him. "Where _else _would I get these kinds of powers from, Rae?"

"You wouldn't do that, Talan," Raven said evenly.

"You haven't been around for a long time, Princess," Talan shot back.

Raven considered probing his mind but then decided against it for unjustified reasons. It was very unlike her. But she needed to hear this from him, out loud. "You're not evil."

"I like to tell myself that too," Talan shrugged.

"Talan," Raven said, her tone touched with impatience and warning.

"Raven," Talan mimicked.

"What did you do?"

"Your father is the big baddy who gives all these powers out, Raven. You should know."

"You wouldn't pay the life of a child for something so stupid," Raven said, frustrated, "You wouldn't sacrifice that much. Tell me. Tell me you didn't do it."

Talan hesitated. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He averted his eyes from her. "I can't," he said.

"You're sick," Raven said, disgusted. "You and everybody else from that damned planet. Beast Boy was right."

"Look in the mirror, Princess," Talan shot back, angry. "You're one of us."

"I'm not!" Raven snapped. A statuette adorning her bookcase shattered. "I wouldn't do something like that."

"Really?" Talan asked. His eyes held an almost sadistic gleam now. "Are you telling me you've never felt the urge to be a little _dark_ before?"

Raven stared at him for a few long moments. Her breathing was harsh and ragged, and it was obvious that she was struggling not to blow up the entire room. Her eyes flooded with fury. "Get out," she finally said.

"Can't face the truth?" Talan said softly, smirking.

"Get out _now_."

"Really, Rae. You can't run away from who you are. It's not healthy," Talan mocked. "Acceptance is the first step."

Raven's eyes glowed white. "I said _OUT_!" A burst of dark energy blew her door open, and Talan was forced out on a wave of black magic. The remaining tendrils left of her power slammed the door shut behind him.

Raven stared at her shut door, still panting heavily from both her rage and the small exertion used for her powers. She had almost lost control, she thought, sickened. She had let Talan get under her skin and could have paid an enormous price for it. Who knew what she could have done in such a state? The tower could have ended up in shambles.

"Anger is pointless," she reminded herself for the second time that day. She shook her head, still disgusted with herself and forced herself into a troubled meditation.

Meanwhile, Talan was staring at the door with equal ferocity. He let himself get lost in his thoughts for a few minutes as he ran his mind over what had just occurred before snapping himself out of it. He heard footsteps. Somebody was coming down the hall. Quickly, he picked himself off the floor that Raven's powers had sprawled him on.

It was Robin, looking thoroughly harassed as he raced around the corner. "I heard a yell," he said shrewdly. "What did you do?"

Talan glared at him sullenly. "Since when are we assuming everything is my fault?"

Robin was unamused. "Since you attacked somebody on my team. What did you do to Raven?"

"I didn't attack her," Talan protested. "It was a duel."

Robin's fists clenched. "She was on the floor screaming. You attacked her."

Talan observed Robin's rigid stature with some interest. "Was I mistaken earlier? Is it the _troq _you have feelings for?"

"She's not a troq!" Robin roared, lunging at Talan. A small scuffle ensued, and after a few moments, it became clear that the two were almost evenly matched, though Robin seemed to be grasping hard for the upper-hand. True to character, however, Talan's fingers reached for an embedded button on his wrist. He would not lose…

Black tendrils of energy suddenly pulled them apart. Robin and Talan were struggling against the rope-like magic when Raven spoke, commanding their attentions. "If you both insist on acting like five-year olds, then go do it somewhere else. Stay away from my room." She slammed the door shut again and flung both Talan and Robin into the wall behind them.

"She plays rough," Talan whined, massaging his shoulder. A devilish grin abruptly unfurled on his face, and his voice lowered to a purr. "I think I like it."

"So sick," Robin muttered as he picked himself up off the ground and readjusted his mask.

Talan's grin only grew wider. "Raven is the best kind of sexual deviant. You'd see it too if you weren't so busy pining after your little alien." He paused and looked Robin up and down, suppressing a laugh. "Of course, I use 'little' in the loosest terms possible. Isn't she kind of tall for you?"

Robin opened his mouth in indignation, but the words refused to fall. Talan chuckled and patted his cheek condescendingly. "Don't worry. She doesn't like you that much anyway." He swept out of the hallway, still laughing, while Robin was left glaring.

Robin was about to turn around and head back to his room when he heard something crash behind Raven's door. He grimaced and took a few tentative steps over to her door. She had told him to leave her in peace. He was reluctant to test her patience much longer.

"Rae?" he said, rapping lightly on her door. "You okay in there?"

No answer.

"Rae?" he tried again.

It was silent for a few minutes, and he was seriously considering the idea that he should just leave when the door opened an inch. Purple eyes peered out at him from the crack of the opening. "It's _Raven_," a voice told him evenly.

Robin frowned. "It's just a nickname. It's not like I've never called you that before."

The eyes staring back at him narrowed into annoyed slits. "I don't like nicknames. My name is only two syllables. How hard can it really be to say?"

"Okay," Robin acquiesced, putting up his hands in a gesture of peace. "You got it. Raven, it is."

"Thank you," Raven seethed.

"Somebody's in a bad mood," Robin observed casually.

"You mean worse than usual?" Raven shot back. "Sorry if I'm not taking this whole 'you're fighting a doomed war against your own planet and just to make it even more fun we'll throw in one of the miserable jerks from your past' very well. I really shouldn't be making a big deal out of all this."

"I didn't mean it like that," Robin said gently. "I'm sorry."

Raven stared.

"So you really think this war is doomed?" Robin said, just as she reached to shut her door.

She froze. With some hesitation, she nodded. "I really do."

"Why?"

"I told you. Azarath doesn't like to lose. The Tamaraneans are strong, but they're too pure. They'll never stoop to the lengths Azarath will to win. And that's not even taking into account that Azarath is years ahead technologically."

Robin mulled over her words. Finally, his masked eyes rose to meet hers. "Should we be doing this then?"

"What?"

"Getting involved."

Raven sighed. She looked away. "Why are you asking me?"

"Because you seem to know the most about all this besides Talan, and I'm not going to ask him about this. I want to keep my team safe. If this war is really impossible, then I don't want to risk anybody's lives out there," Robin answered.

"You'll never convince Starfire not to go," Raven said.

"I'm her leader," Robin said.

"That's bullshit," Raven said, "You know that won't stop her."

"Well, I can at least protect the rest of my team," Robin said stubbornly.

"More bullshit. You won't be able to stop yourself from following her."

"Will you stop?" Robin roared. "I'm trying to do what's best for everybody here!"

"What's best isn't always what works, Robin," Raven said heatedly. "We were in this war from the moment Talan said_ 'Tamaran_.' There's no use pretending that we can still pull out because we can't. Not when somebody from our team is so personally involved."

"Two people," Robin said quietly.

"What?" Raven asked, thrown by his sudden change in demeanor.

"Two people are personally involved in this war. I don't care what you say, Raven. Azarath is your home planet. You've got some kind of attachment in all of this."

"I make it my business to be unattached," Raven hissed. "This war is no different."

She shut the door in his face before he could even open his mouth. Robin punched the door angrily, but it did nothing to change what had happened. Defeated, he trudged back to his room, his knuckles throbbing.

The next morning started off with a bang.

The titans jumped from their beds, racing down to the source of the explosion, which happened to be in the garage. It was an hour before sunrise, and they couldn't help but wonder what kind of villain could find the energy to attack at such an ungodly hour. The scene that met their eyes, however, was very different from what they had expected.

It was Cyborg, spotted with oil, cackling happily. "It's finished!" he cheered as he engaged Starfire, the first to arrive with green starbolts glaring in her hands, in some knock-off version of the victory dance he did whenever he beat Beast Boy at a video game.

"It's almost tribal," Raven remarked while the rest of the team stared dumbfounded.

Cyborg finished by pulling Starfire into a dramatic dip and then spinning her out of his arms…and right into Talan's. She made a small "eep!" of indignation, and Talan smirked suggestively at her. She pushed herself off with a burst of force and hovered over to Robin's side, glaring at Talan the entire time.

Cyborg took no notice of the mini-drama he had caused. "I finished!" he repeated. "My baby is done!"

"Your car?" Robin asked, uncomprehending.

"Not the car," Cyborg said impatiently. His human eye gleamed with excitement and pride. He picked up a remote that had been lying on the ground beside him, somehow unscathed by his dancing. He looked at each of the titans in turn, a sort of crazy joy taking over his features. "It's beautiful," he said. "I've stayed up the whole night working on it. It's absolutely perfect."

"Dude," Beast Boy said, sounding horrified. "Are you _crying_?"

Cyborg wiped at his eye quickly. "Of course not," he said, sending Beast Boy a pointed look. Beast Boy shrank back, joining Starfire at Robin's side. "This place hasn't been used lately. It's just some dust in my eye, that's all."

"The same dust that's bothering the rest of us?" Raven asked skeptically, gesturing to everybody else's bright, unaffected eyes and the suspicious lack of sneezing. Cyborg scowled.

"Just show us what you've been working on, Cy," Robin said hurriedly before things could escalate.

He instantly forgot about his anger. "Get ready to be amazed," he said mysteriously.

"Get on with it already," Beast Boy said, only to be the recipient of another cringe-worthy glare.

"As I was saying," Cyborg said, still staring at Beast Boy as if daring him to speak. When he didn't, Cyborg addressed the rest of the team. "Ladies and gentlemen…and Beast Boy, I present you…The T-Ship!" He punched a button on the remote dramatically and the moonlight from the outside shone into the area, though obstructed by a large object sitting majestically on the lawn about fifty feet away.

"Um," Beast Boy said hesitantly, "Didn't we already have the T-Ship?"

Cyborg couldn't even bring himself to be annoyed as he stared at his creation lovingly. "She's been upgraded," he explained. He began pressing other buttons on the remote, talking non-stop the entire time. "See this? This is the missile launcher. It can shoot 'em out faster than you can blink and with 97 percent accuracy. And this? This is the indestructible shield shooter. It can hold up under heat up to 1000 degrees, liquid nitrogen cold, and blasts that could level Jump City. All at once. Oooooh, and look at that over there. That's the fuel storage room, expanded by 75 percent. We could stay up there for over a year if we needed to, provided nothing happens to our fuel. Oh, and I almost forgot that! That…"

"I lost him back at fuel storage," Raven said.

"Better than me," Beast Boy shrugged. "What's liquid nitrogen?"

Talan made a noise of derision loud enough to stop Cyborg's rambles. "Impressive," he said, "really, but don't you think Azarath has all of this and more? We have enough stored electrical power to black out your entire ship and leave you falling into space forever."

Cyborg grinned manically. "That's where you're wrong." He pressed another button on the remote, and the ship glimmered as a red coating oozed over it. Cyborg peeled off a chunk of it and threw it towards Talan's feet. It hit the ground before the Azarathean and bounced up into his hands.

Talan examined the substance curiously and then looked back up at a smug Cyborg. "Rubber," Talan said flatly. "You plan on saving yourself with rubber."

"I don't see why it shouldn't work," Cyborg shrugged.

"Well, what if, by some chance, a part of the ship is damaged, and all the oxygen gets sucked out, or it catches on fire or something?" Talan argued.

"It's detachable," Cyborg replied, matter-of-factly.

"It's awful big," Talan pointed out. "How do you plan on going on any surprise missions?"

"Cloaking system," Cyborg said, his grin growing wider by the second. "It also sends sound waves out that can scramble any computers tracking it."

Talan gritted his teeth but finally accepted his defeat. But not without getting a last word in. "It's very primal," he said, "and the technology isn't completely up to date, but I suppose it might be able to hold its own against the Azarathean ships for a short while until we can develop something better."

Cyborg's face progressively fell as Talan spoke, and by the end it looked like he wanted to throttle the Azarathean. Robin broke in hurriedly. "Okay, team," he said. "You heard him. The T-ship is good to go. Start getting ready. Everybody needs to be back out here in a half-hour."

Beast Boy's yells of "a half-hour?" were drowned out by the general mayhem that followed Robin's orders.

"My extra batteries!" Cyborg howled as the team scurried about inside twenty minutes later. "Where are they?"

"Check the equipment room," Robin grunted. "Where the hell is my hair gel?"

"Bathroom across from my room, second drawer from the left," Raven said in passing. "I need my books."

"Books?" Beast Boy cried as he ran out of his room, uniform half-on and extra clothes hanging on both him and out of his suitcase. "We're going into a war, and you plan on _reading_? Are you crazy?" He turned towards the main room. "You think Robin'll let me take the new Gamestation?"

"You're getting on me for reading, and you want to play video games?" Raven retorted shrewdly.

"It's all about the strategy, man!" Beast Boy insisted. "Super Space Galaxy Wars is the ultimate training since we don't have time for it here."

"Hurry, friends!" Starfire urged, flying in and out of rooms, having been packed long since. "My planet is in the greatest need!"

Talan strolled casually after. "By greatest need, she means all the troqs are going to die within the hour if you guys don't hurry the hell up." Occasionally, he was forced to dodge a green starbolt or a jar of hair gel, but he still seemed to derive much amusement from his game.

Ten minutes later, against all odds, everyone was assembled in the rocket.

"Can I do the countdown?" Beast Boy begged.

"I wouldn't trust him," Raven said dryly. "He can barely count forwards."

"Aw, come on, that's not fair! Pleeeeaaaase?"

"Just let him do it, Cyborg," Robin sighed. "He'll never shut up if you don't."

"Hurry, friends!"

"Go ahead, Beast Boy."

"Yeah!" Beast Boy cheered. "Okay…ten…nine…"

"Bathroom?" Talan requested.

"No," Robin said. "I told everyone to go before we left."

"Bossy."

"…eight…seven…six…"

"Count faster, friend! We must make haste!"

"…five-four…three…"

"I _told _you guys he had trouble counting backwards."

"…two…"

"This is it," Robin murmured, suddenly seized with an all-encompassing dread. He was overcome with the desire to yell that this was a mistake, that they should forget about this war. It wasn't safe for his team.

"…one!"

"Lift-off!" Cyborg yelled triumphantly, punching a black button with his metallic finger.

It was too late. The T-ship blasted off into the sky.

* * *

_Notes and References…_

None. Just remember to review! ;)


	5. Ships of War

**Author's Note: **Thanks for all the great reviews. I know its been a long time, and a lot has been revealed about Tamaran and Starfire in the new episodes so far, particularly in **Go!**, making my story even more AU than originally planned. Please see _Notes and References _at the bottom for important information regarding the planets(even though Azarath may not technicallybe a planet or whatever)in my story.

**Chapter Five: Ships of War**

"Are we there yet?" Beast Boy whined impatiently.

"No, we're not," Robin ground out through clenched teeth.

"Just like the last seventeen times you've asked," Raven said tightly. She was sure she was beginning to develop an eye-twitch. Being trapped in a spacecraft for seven hours with Beast Boy could do that to a person. She was tempted to ask Cyborg just how much longer it would be, despite the fact that he had already told Beast Boy numerous times that it would take at least a few more hours.

"Did it take this long to get to Tamaran last time?" Raven wondered aloud instead.

"No," Cyborg said while typing away at the main computer onboard. "But I'm trying to get a feel for what we're going into…and scrambling the tracking systems of the ships we're passing by."

"We've already encountered enemy ships?" Robin demanded sharply.

Cyborg shrugged, still distracted. "Well, yeah, if you can call it that. None of them have actually seen us. Cloaking system's working like a charm." It was easy for all of them to catch the hint of pride woven into his voice. He was obviously very impressed with the ship's performance.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Robin persisted.

"Wasn't necessary," Cyborg said. "I've got it all under control. Besides, there haven't been that many yet. Just a few here and there. You can see them through the windows if you'd like."

Robin strode towards a window brusquely, followed closely by an enthusiastic Beast Boy. Robin's face was stony as he observed the enemy ships while Beast Boy was awestruck.

"Whoa, there's one! And another! Hey, look at that one waaaay over there! Is that a laser shooter?"

"Are all of your species this annoying?" Talan questioned rudely. Thankfully, he had remained relatively quiet during the ride, perfectly content to monitor Cyborg at the computer and occasionally throw out a comment, sometimes helpful, sometimes derogatory.

"I'm human," Beast Boy said indignantly.

Talan eyed him doubtfully. "Right."

"Leave him alone, Talan," Raven broke in. Robin nodded in agreement. Now was _not_ the time to delve into anybody's pasts. No use in haunting themselves with skeletons.

Speaking of skeletons…

Raven moved to look out one of the windows, as far as she could get from anybody else. Her gaze was guarded as she sought out the Azarathean ships, and her eyes were hard and cold. One of the spacecrafts came particularly close, and Raven squinted in an attempt to see more. She didn't know what she was looking for, but the thought of the Azaratheans lounging about inside preparing for the destruction of Tamaran made the back of her neck tingle. She frowned. She wasn't supposed to care.

"Nobody would blame you if you didn't fight in this war," a calm voice said, coming up behind her.

"It's my duty," Raven said evenly.

"Well, as your leader, I'm relieving you of that duty. You don't need to feel obligated to do anything."

"So I'm just supposed to sit around and read?" Raven said. "I would never back out like that. You know me better."

"I just want to be fair," Robin said. "I don't want to support one teammate at the expense of alienating another."

"I told you none of this meant anything to me," Raven said tightly.

"That's hard to believe," Robin said, gesturing out to the ships. "These people are the ones you grew up with. You were their princess."

"I was nobody's princess," Raven laughed bitterly. "And we've had this conversation already. I told you I could do this. I _am _going to do this."

She threw him a dirty glance and abruptly swept out of the main room. Robin couldn't help but feel that he had been cheated out of the conversation twice. He noticed Talan making his exit soon afterwards with a distinct stab of displeasure. He was considering going after the two when Starfire glided into the room, her long red hair adorably tousled after what appeared to be a very restful nap. A smile touched his lips, despite everything that was going on.

"Starfire," he said, beckoning to her.

Starfire's head rose, her eyes bleary. She smiled when she saw him. Robin noted that though her gaze was worried, there was nothing else drastically different about it. He was glad. "Friend Robin," she said affectionately, "have I slept long?"

Robin shook his head. "No longer than you needed to," he assured her.

"Has much occurred during my slumber?" Starfire continued to inquire. Her smile sagged. "I saw Friend Raven and her boy in the hall. They appeared to be troubled."

"Was he bothering her?" Robin demanded, concerned. The thought of bursting out there and forcing Talan away from Raven flitted across his mind again.

Starfire shook her head. "I was anxious as well, but they were only speaking with each other. Friend Raven did not look angered."

"Okay," Robin said, accepting the answer. He still wanted to see what was going on for himself, but he was well aware that Raven wasn't on good terms with him right now. Besides Talan, he might have been her least favorite person on the T-Ship.

"What is that?" Starfire suddenly said, pointing off into the far distance outside the window. Robin squinted his eyes and could just make out the speck of what must have been another Azarathean ship. He hesitated when he turned back to Starfire who was still straining to decipher the object.

He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. He doubted Starfire would be pleased with the news. "Well, it's…"

Suddenly, a much closer one loomed in the window's view. Starfire's mildly pleasant expression dropped when she saw the stingray-shape of it. "Ships of war," she said flatly.

Robin nodded. It was no use lying to her. Starfire could be very perceptive.

She sighed. "They are from Azarath, are they not?"

"They are," Robin confirmed.

"Tamaran does not have ships such as these. The ships of Tamaran are less sharp. They have a platform in which to go out and extend peace to the side of the opposition. Tamaran does not like to be at war with others."

"Tamaran sounds like a nice place," Robin said gently.

"It is," Starfire agreed. She glanced back out the window, and the gentle expression that had graced her face while she was speaking of her home planet was suddenly engulfed by a harder, more determined one. "But we will fight, if forced. Tamaran is a planet of skilled fighters. We will not let the evil destroy us."

"Not everybody from Azarath is evil," Robin said.

Starfire looked steadily into Robin's eyes. He was surprised by the fierceness of her gaze. "I am not implying that Raven is evil if that is what you are thinking," she said, "She is my friend and my comrade. But most of her planet _is_ corrupt. Azarath is not a nice place. I admire friend Raven for having the strength to escape the evil of her home."

"Funny," a dry voice said behind them, "ask anybody else, and they'll tell you I _was _the evil of my home."

Robin and Starfire turned around to find, "_Raven_!"

She and Talan must have come back sometime during his and Starfire's discussion, Robin realized. He wondered just how much she had heard. He backtracked through the conversation, hoping they had said nothing that could possibly anger her. A few of the words exchanged might have been termed as questionable, but it took a lot to truly upset Raven.

"…You are not evil, friend Raven!" Starfire was insisting when Robin tuned back into the conversation.

Raven shrugged. "I'm just saying I wasn't your typical, beloved Princess back on Azarath. If it wasn't for fear of my father, they wouldn't have even tried to stop me from leaving."

"Very true," Talan agreed. "I distinctly remember a day of rejoicing when the Meeres replaced Raven as the representative authority. Streya was much more the model princess."

Raven's eyes darkened, and Robin noticed that she was carefully avoiding even glancing in Talan's direction. "Meaning that she actually supported Azarath's conquering of other planets, yes, she was," she said coolly.

"Azarath did like its conquests," Talan said cheerfully. "You were always a bit of a downer when you spoke publicly about them: _We proved that we can defeat a planet of the innocent and defenseless. I see that Azarath truly has gained something of worth from this expedition._ Tell you the truth, Rae princess, you just weren't very popular."

"I never cared about popularity," Raven said, unperturbed.

Talan grinned. "All the more reason for Azarath to hate you."

"Why are you so pleased with all of this?" Robin cut in. Surely, Talan's nonchalant treatment towards how despised Raven was on her planet had to be upsetting her at least a little.

However, it was Raven who answered, quite dryly actually. "Talan likes to pretend he's a big bad Azarathean, but he's not much of a follower. Notice how he abandoned them for us without any regrets."

"I have no sense of loyalty," Talan agreed woefully.

Raven rolled her eyes.

Robin winced. The remark was made in jest, but he was sure it had a double meaning to his reclusive teammate. It was hard to forget the disloyalty Talan had spoken of when he first arrived, how he had gone behind Raven's back with her best friend. If Raven was hurt by the remark, however, she wasn't giving any indication. But she was like that, Robin noted. It was always hard to tell what really got underneath her skin.

"Oh, look," Talan changed the subject as he brushed by Starfire to get a clear view of the window. "There's another ship. God, there's a ton of them, isn't there?" He turned to Beast Boy who had been eagerly taking in the view for a while but was now beginning to look bored. "How many have you counted so far?"

"Too many," Beast Boy said mournfully.

"And, to think," Talan continued. "We're going to have to blast all of these out of the sky. We're only outnumbered…what? One to three hundred? Maybe I should have stuck with Azarath."

"Why do you insist on dragging everybody down?" Raven questioned irritably, eyeing a crestfallen Starfire.

"I'm not trying to bring everybody down," Talan corrected. "Just you. It's not too late to change your mind, you know. Join Azarath. Screw loyalty. We could possibly be on the winning side instead of going down with the troqs. I figure showing you the odds is the only way to convince you. It's not my fault everybody else gets all hopeless and suicidal in the process. Maybe if you weren't such a cold, unfeeling bitch…"

Raven's eyes narrowed, and Robin growled angrily. His hands clenched into fists. Starfire, who was unfamiliar with the new term, still understood that now was not the time to beg for an explanation. Now was the time to be angry. Before anything could happen though, the T-Ship gave a sickening lurch.

"Shit!" Cyborg yelled. "We've been spotted!"

"What?" Robin demanded. Somehow, he had kept his balance through the quake, and he deftly leaped over to Cyborg's side. "What went wrong?"

Cyborg was typing into his computer furiously. "We were getting close to Tamaran, so I lowered the defense system to conserve energy. I never expected that they would attack so close to enemy lines…"

The ship tilted again. "Aw, man, they shot at us again! My baby is not going down on its first go!"

"I told you the technology was too outdated!" Talan said smugly. Raven could catch the urgency in his voice though. Talan valued little more than his own precious life.

"Shut your mouth," Cyborg yelled. He added something else, a rude epithet most likely, Raven thought, but it was drowned out by the sound of a blast.

"Got him! I got the dirty little…"

"Cyborg!" Robin snapped in warning.

There was another blast. Raven felt her stomach jolt. She had a feeling they hadn't been the ones to set that one off. "He came back for more," Cyborg moaned, confirming her suspicions. "I'm going to have to repair that."

While Cyborg tried to locate just which section of the ship had been damaged to ensure they would not fall out of the sky at any given moment, Robin took control, surreptitiously typing in a few commands. A series of missiles shot out from the ship, blasting strategic points on the other ship. The Azaratheans apparently had realized the T-Ship's superiority because they flew away rather quickly afterwards. Beast Boy let out a whoop of glee.

Cyborg, on the other hand, stood frozen for a few seconds. Slowly, he turned to face Robin. He took a gulp of air.

"_Never mess with the T-Ship's control system again_!"

"The job had to be done, and you let yourself get distracted," Robin said calmly. This might have escalated into a full-scale fight between the two competitive friends, but somebody else broke in.

"More ships are coming!" Beast Boy yelled, avidly staring out the window again. His mouth was dropped open in a look of abject horror.

Cyborg searched his monitor quickly. Raven joined Beast Boy beside the window. "These are different," she said. "Not Azarath."

"Tamaran!" Starfire shouted with joy. Sure enough, they could all just make out the deck she described with the presumed leader upon it, holding his hands out in the universal gesture of peace. A ringing sound came in over the ship's transmitter.

"They want to talk to us," Cyborg said. He accepted the request.

A Tamaranean dressed in warrior apparel appeared on a smaller screen to the right. "Dsian nos veik ariles sevrien consuit," it said.

They all turned to Starfire, except for Cyborg. "I can't believe I forgot to turn on the translator," he groaned as he set to work on the glitch.

"In your terms, I believe it means roughly, _we do not wish to fight, strange beings_," Starfire said.

"They don't wish to fight and yet they insult us?" Raven said, her voice touched with amusement. "Tamaran's diplomatic skills may rival Azarath's."

"I could have told you that," Talan grumbled. "It took us two days to get the point across to them that _no_, we did _not_ want their creepy food as a peace offering, we wanted to destroy them."

"I take that back," Raven said. "At least they're trying to be friendly."

"Starfire, c'mere," Cyborg beckoned. "I want you to speak to them."

Starfire flew over to Cyborg and Robin. The warrior brightened upon seeing her. It fired off a few strings of sentences in rapid Tamaranean that made Starfire flush with pleasure. "He is very happy to see us," she explained to her team.

"Knorfka lei sund…we have been preparing for your arrival ever since the messengers returned. We expected you hours ago. Why did you not come sooner?" Cyborg apparently had fixed the translator.

"We came as quick as could, man," Cyborg said. "Your messengers had the advantage of not traveling in a war ship."

The Tamaranean nodded in understanding. "You are very close to our planet. You do not have to fear being attacked anymore."

"Great," Cyborg said. "Where should we land?"

"We have set up a dock for you. I shall send you the coordinates."

"Thanks," Cyborg said. The Tamaranean nodded again and ended the transmission. The screen went black once more.

Beast Boy cheered. "We're finally here!"

"You'll wish you weren't a few days from now," Talan smirked.

"Here we go!" Cyborg exclaimed. The ship tilted downwards, causing everybody to stumble. Cyborg grinned. He pressed a button on the ship and cleared his throat, the noise echoing through the room. It was the intercom. "This is your captain speaking. Please return to your seats now, and make sure to fasten your seatbelts."

"Lousy captain. You couldn't have made that announcement _before_," Beast Boy said darkly, picking himself up off the floor.

Once everybody was safely secured in their seats, Cyborg tilted the ship at an even sharper angle. "Go faster, Cyborg," Beast Boy goaded, forgetting that he was supposed to be disgruntled in the excitement of the landing.

Cyborg laughed. "Any faster, and we'll be toast. Literally."

"That was a happy picture," Raven commented.

"I'm much too pretty to end up as a breakfast food," Talan said, preening himself in front of a pocket mirror in preparation of meeting the Tamaraneans.

Robin rolled his eyes. "I thought you didn't care about Tamaran," he said. "Why are you bothering with that comb?"

Talan's gaze remained riveted in the mirror. "It's a matter of intimidation," he said. "I might be fighting with the troqs, but I still have to show them that I'm still their superior."

"And you plan on conveying this with tangle-free hair?" Robin questioned.

"I'm a very superficial creature," Talan admitted. He all but cooed at the mirror as he admired himself. "But it does have its rewards. Those troqs won't be able to keep their freakishly strong hands off of me." He batted his eyelashes at Starfire. "Don't you agree?"

Starfire's eyes glowed. "Friend Robin, may I have the permission to lay, as you say, the down-smack on this unpleasant being?"

"The what?" Robin said with a raised brow.

Beast Boy chuckled from his seat nervously. "I, uh, tried to teach Starfire some new words last weekend. I think she means smackdown."

Robin sighed in an annoyed fashion, but it looked to Raven like he was struggling not to laugh. "Sorry, Star, I'm afraid now isn't the best time to, uh, lay the…well, to do _that_," he said.

Starfire looked disappointed. Talan looked relieved. Robin looked like he wanted to change his mind.

The ship tilted, so it was more level again. Raven loosened her grip on her armrests gratefully. She counted one, two, three seconds and felt the unmistakable bounce of the ship colliding with solid ground. She had the sudden urge to clench her armrests again.

Raven gave a shake of her head to clear her disturbed thoughts. She couldn't show apprehension, or anxiety, or anything. She couldn't crack in front of her team. She had to be strong. She had told Robin she could do this. She knew she could do this.

"Welcome to Tamaran," Cyborg said, using his captain voice again, "I hope you enjoy your stay."

He punched a button, and the automatic doors slid open with a hiss. Raven's stomach sank.

* * *

_Other Notes and References…_

1. Tamaran – On the show, it was revealed as some gung-ho, tough, "not-nice" place. Insert-huge-sigh-here. My Tamaran is quite the opposite, if you haven't noticed. This was written out before the episode, and I'm not planning on changing it. This Tamaran will be exactly as it has been described so far in the story: honest people, skilled fighters, and _nice_. I'm still finding it hard to believe that Starfire could be such a doll but still have grown up in a totally terrible place.

2. Azarath – I've already explained a little about this. Azarath is not destroyed in this story, obviously. It is also not the same Azarath that was described in the comic books or the show. Here, Azarath is ruled by Trigon, Raven's father. However, Trigon is also out taking charge other worlds and spreading evil, so he isn't actually on a throne dictating orders or anything. Basically, if he wants something done, he sends orders down to the stand-in royalty on Azarath, which was once Raven, but now is the Meere line. Otherwise, the stand-in royalty has pretty much free reign as Trigon controls many planets and isn't especially concerned with Azarath. The people of Azarath are all very ambitious and power-hungry and haughty, and this is why Raven was an outcast. They feared her father, were jealous of her powers, and didn't understand her indifferent nature.

3. Remember to review!


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